


“Kiss the girl.”

by LulaIsAKitten



Series: First Kisses [21]
Category: Cormoran Strike Series - Robert Galbraith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-29
Updated: 2018-06-29
Packaged: 2019-05-30 03:18:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15087851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LulaIsAKitten/pseuds/LulaIsAKitten
Summary: Continuing the series of shorts of possible first kisses between these two. Got a few ideas. Feel free to submit prompts for anything you’d like to see in the comments below or over on Tumblr at lulacat3.





	“Kiss the girl.”

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nessa_Val](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nessa_Val/gifts).



> A gift for Nessa_Val. Thank you for the prompt!
> 
> “Robin and Strike are watching "Little Mermaid" with Corm's nephews. (And I totally shamelessly mean "Kiss the Girl" moment.)”

Robin had just got home from the supermarket late Saturday morning when her phone pinged. She stripped off her dripping coat and hung it up, carried damp bags through to the kitchen to unpack. It had been raining steadily all day, leaden grey skies showing no sign of letting up. She fished her phone out of her pocket and looked at it. Her eyebrows raised in surprise to see that it was from Strike. He didn’t normally text her at the weekend.

“Need help. Urgent mission of great importance, can’t manage alone.”

Intrigued, the shopping momentarily forgotten, she texted straight back. “What’s up?”

She started putting her purchases away, but kept glancing at her phone. What could possibly be so urgent that he’d need help, her help, at the weekend? Then her phone pinged again. She read the answer and roared with laughter.

“Lucy and Greg have theatre tickets. Arranged play dates for boys. Jack’s fell through so they’re dropping him here. It’s raining. What do I do with a 7-y-o boy all afternoon???”

Giggling, she texted him back. “I’ll help but it’ll cost you.”

“Name your price. I’ll pay it.”

“Glass of wine in the Tottenham after.”

“Well worth it! See you soon?” She could almost hear the pleading.

“On my way,” she typed, smiling fondly.

She finished putting the shopping away, grabbed a handful of DVDs from her collection, pulled her wet coat back on and set off. On impulse she popped into Tesco on the way, knowing Strike wouldn’t have appropriate food and drink in for a child. She assumed Lucy would be very anti sugar and E numbers, so she grabbed bread sticks and fruit and a carton of apple juice, and then found herself lingering in the toy aisle. Lego, that’ll take some time, she thought, and picked up a simple car.

She arrived at the office building, let herself in and headed up the stairs. Strike opened the door before she got to it, looking immensely relieved to see her. “He’s asked for food already,” he said. “I don’t suppose Lucy will want me to feed him Chinese takeaway.”

Robin laughed at the panicked look on his face and waved the Tesco bag at him. “I bring snacks,” she said, “and activities.”

Strike looked at her as though she had performed a magic trick, wonder and delight on his face. “God, Robin, I could kiss you,” he said, and then flushed a little, taken aback at what he’d just said.

She giggled. “And I agreed to do this for a glass of wine,” she said cheekily. “I didn’t realise a snog was on offer!” She breezed past him into the flat, not noticing his flush deepening. Why did you just say that, she asked herself. He’s still your boss, you can’t flirt with him even if this is a situation unrelated to work. Cringing a little at her own behaviour, she moved to introduce herself to his nephew who was sat at the table. She resolved to be more professional.

“Hello, you must be Jack,” she said. “I’m Robin.”

“We’ve got a robin in our garden,” the small boy said solemnly.

“So have my mum and dad,” she said. “The cat keeps trying to eat him, but she can never catch him.”

Jack laughed, and she grinned back at him. “Right,” she said. “I have snacks and apple juice, and I thought you and your uncle could build this together,” - she produced the Lego car - “and then we can watch a film, what do you think?”

The boy grinned up at her, and she saw a sudden flash of Strike as a youth in his eager young face. Her heart lurched with fondness. She set the box on the table. “You boys get started, I’ll get the snacks,” she said, and they settled to it.

Once the car was nearly built, she got the DVDs out of the bag and perused them. Strike looked at her curiously. “Why so many Disney films?” he asked, and she flushed a little. “I just like them,” she said. “Bit of escapism sometimes.”

Unfortunately Jack rejected most of them - Fantasia, The Lion King, Sword In The Stone and Jungle Book - because he’d already seen them. The only one she’d brought that he hadn’t seen was The Little Mermaid. “It’s a princess film,” he said, scowling, but Robin was ready for that. “It’s the least princessy of the princess films,” she said. “And it’s got one of the best bad guys in it.”

“Okay,” he said, and turned back to the Lego. The car was nearly done and she sat and watched them, smiling. Strike was being endlessly patient, passing Jack the correct pieces but letting him do the building.

Jack looked up again, regarding her curiously. “Are you Uncle Cormoran’s girlfriend?” he asked suddenly.

Robin flushed, carefully not catching Strike’s eye. “No, we just work together,” she said. Jack looked at her coolly. “That’s a shame,” he said. “You’re nicer than Charlotte. She didn’t like me.”

Robin didn’t know what to say to that. She glanced sideways at Strike, who shrugged. “He’s not wrong,” he murmured as Jack bent over the Lego again. “She didn’t like my nephews.” Robin wasn’t sure what to say to that either, but suddenly Jack realised his car was finished and she was distracted by the need to admire it.

They moved to the living area and put the film on. Jack was soon engrossed, a plate of fruit and a drink next to him, and Robin and Strike sat back a little, chatting quietly. Presently Strike glanced at his watch. “With a bit of luck, this’ll carry us through till Lucy and Greg get back,” he said.

“Do you babysit often?” Robin asked, curious.

“Never,” he said. “I got the impression I was the last resort.”

“Well, you’ve done fine,” she said, smiling at the little boy engrossed in his film.

“Thanks to you,” Strike said, grinning. “I haven’t forgotten I owe you a glass of wine for this.”

Robin suddenly remembered her poor joke earlier about the snog, and flushed a little. Hopefully he had forgotten about it. She carefully didn’t look at him, concentrating on the film, so she missed the appraising look he gave her. Strike remembered very clearly, and suddenly wondered from her blush if it hadn’t entirely been a joke, and might in fact be a welcome move. He pondered.

On the screen, Ariel and Eric were in a boat. Robin, who had hummed or sung along to all the songs so far, smiled softly as the music began. If pushed, she’d have to admit that the songs were the main reason she so loved Disney films. She was soon singing along.

“There you see her, sitting there across the way...”

Strike smiled fondly as she sang, watching the screen. They were sat at the dining table while Jack curled up on the easy chair in front of the television, his back to them. From what Strike could gather from the film, an assortment of animals and birds were trying to get the handsome prince to kiss Ariel.

“What’s going on?” he murmured.

“He has to kiss her to break the spell,” Robin said. “Then she gets her voice back. But he’s too shy. He should just kiss her.”

“How’s he supposed to know she wants him to kiss her if she can’t say?” Strike asked.

She glanced sideways at him. “How do you normally know if a girl wants you to kiss her?” she said slyly, and carried on singing. “You know you want to kiss the girl...”

Strike sat back and watched her, amusement on his face. He hadn’t been sure that making a move to kiss his business partner could ever be a good idea - far too much potential for awkwardness if he’d got it wrong - but she was being fairly clear. She glanced at him again, smiling. He was just wrestling with the ethics of attempting any such thing with his nephew in the room when the door buzzer went, making them both jump. He rose to answer it and buzz Lucy and Greg in.

Robin had a sudden stab of nerves about what Strike’s chattering sister would think about her presence in the flat, and more importantly what she might think would be going on after they had departed, but Lucy seemed too distracted to consider it. They had two more boys to collect on the way home, she said, and then tea and bedtime to do, so thank you very much but they really must be going. Robin said Jack could borrow the DVD to finish at home, and he was proud to show off his car to his parents. Within a remarkably short timeframe given her normal level of chat, Lucy was gone again, leaving Strike and Robin standing by the door. The little flat was suddenly plunged into silence.

Robin cleared her throat awkwardly. The flat seemed smaller somehow, and her earlier flirtatious behaviour ill-advised now that the protective presence of a third person was removed. “So,” she said, brightly - too brightly, she sounded brittle - “the pub, then?” She risked a glance at Strike and her heart lurched at the way he was looking at her.

“Is the snog option off the table, then?” he asked softly, stepping closer, his eyes holding hers. Her heart was hammering suddenly. This is going to happen, she thought. After all these months, here’s the moment. All because of a silly joke and a Disney song. Flushing, nervous, she shook her head a little. “No, it’s not,” she said, shyly.

“Good,” he murmured, stepping closer again, his hands moving to her waist to pull her gently to him, his head bending to hers. “Go on and kiss the girl, remember?” and then his lips were on hers.

She had often wondered what it might be like to kiss him. She’d sort of assumed it would be a moment of high passion. She hadn’t expected him to be gentle and reverent, slow and soft. His lips moved across hers lightly, and she pressed closer with a little sigh, her arms creeping up around his neck. His hands slid from her waist round to the small of her back to bring her closer still, and his tongue slid against hers as her mouth opened to him. She was trembling, and she could feel he was too.

At length he drew back a little and rested his forehead against hers and sighed, content. “Will you be wanting the wine as well?” he asked, smiling. She grinned. “Of course!” she said. “That was the deal.”

They put on coats and descended the stairs, quiet, happy. They stepped out into the rain, and Strike took Robin’s hand in his as they strolled to the pub.

 

 

 


End file.
